Don’t give up on hope

Steve Sparks | Jan. 18, 2018 | 1

Don’t give up on hope. In the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, there is an account of dry bones being brought to life. This vision shows the impossible becoming possible . . . the very definition of a miracle. Someone asked me the other day whether I believed in miracles. I replied, “It doesn’t matter what I believe. If God wants to perform a miracle, He will. And I believe in God.”

It is easy to give up hope on someone or some circumstance because it seems impossible. But we have a God who gives hope that is more than just wishful thinking. A friend of mine defines this kind of hope as “The joyful expectation of things to come.” We all need that kind of hope.

I meet a lot of people experiencing homelessness who have no hope. They don’t ever expect their situation to get better. And the truth is, all the wishful thinking in the world may have no affect on their circumstances. The good news is, I have also seen some of those same hopeless individuals enter a relationship with God by accepting the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and their wishful thinking becomes joyful expectation. This is life-changing.

For 60 years, Wichita Falls Faith Mission has shared this Gospel that results in “Christ in you, the hope of Glory.” This transforming message makes the impossible possible. It takes people from drugs to sobriety, from abandonment to acceptance, from death to life.

We mustn’t give up on hope. Not Biblical hope. God does change lives. In fact, God is pursuing us way harder than we are pursuing Him and those we care about who are lost or struggling. Don’t give up hope on them either. God has them in His sights.

Ashely didn’t give up hope on her dad. When she heard he was out of prison, she persistently called and visited Faith Mission trying to make sure there would be a bed for him in the New Beginnings program. Then she started on him. She wouldn’t take no for an answer. She never stopped praying, and she never gave up hope. She expected her father to change.

Today, her dad is 2-years sober, reunited with his family, leading work groups as a foreman, driving his own truck and telling others about the life-changing power of the Gospel.

Don’t give up on hope. God is still in the life-changing business, and every life and every story matters.